


The Blind Valkyrie

by Aspiration



Category: Loki - Fandom, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Blind Character, F/M, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Sigyn's beginnings, Valhalla, Valkyries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:33:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aspiration/pseuds/Aspiration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Valhalla is a realm for the heroic dead. They are not allowed to walk freely in Asgard. The dawn of civilization on Midgard kept the Valkyries busy claiming the Dead for Odin. Yet a girl was born blind among them. This is her story and how a hunger for life, when your purpose is to keep the dead, can lead you to do great things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sound of Tears

In the realm of Valhalla a daughter of the Valkyries was born blind. The Valkyries were grateful for this birth and that such a small thing could not see the heroic dead that came through the halls. So should she also be grateful. The Valkyries took their purpose seriously and with little gayety that comes from a child. However when the child laughed in her ignorance the beams of the hall seemed to groan to life in response. Children were very rare and seemed an oddity in Valhalla. Valkyries were made to work and not to create families like the Aesir.

Yet as Odin’s warriors came day by day into the hall the child started to take notice and could feel them where they died. The disabled child could but touch a warrior and know the ground where their spirits left their body. So even in her blindness she knew the bitterness and fear that came with death and the relief that someday she would spare them as a Valkyrie herself. This knowledge made her sad and the Valkyries gave her a name so she may be called to them.

They named her Ingrid Idriskin because her parents were of the lowest of the Valkyries. Her family collected mead for the eternal feasts in the hall. To have a child that was noticed by those who rode to Midgard was an honor. So this ability of Ingrid's made her parents proud Valkyries as should every birth. Despite this pride Ingrid was coddled. She was not allowed to wander even when she could walk Valhalla in great strides.

Without her sight Ingrid could soon sense when a normal person was near even without touching them. The subtle differences between the sounds of the dead and that of the living were clear to her ears. Yet even as she tested all her remaining senses her parents would still not allow her to leave Valhalla like they could. If ever Valhalla needed to be emptied Ingrid would have to stay behind and continue the feasting. It was a grave and important job but Ingrid did not like being alone. Often she would spend her alone time with the animal guards of the hall. Yet they could not talk to her like a person could and the dead delighted only in feasting and not idle talk.

One night when Ingrid was a young woman she could not help but weep bitterly. The tears from her sightless eyes fell against the floor of the hall. She would only cry when she knew the Valkyries were not near and a great battle had arisen on Midgard. Alone she prayed to Heimdall. “O, Heimdall who hears all things. If I can hear my tears on the floor of Valhalla surely you can hear me. Above the cries of battle and death please, if just for a moment, call me to the Bifrost, speak my name and let me hear what life sounds like instead of death.”

Heimdall heard Ingrid and looked from the battle in Midgard to Valhalla. Through Yggdrasil he bid her come. “Welcome young Valkyrie,” he said. Ingrid could feel the power of his voice and knew he had heard her. The floor beneath her hands was different. It felt warm. Ingrid knew then that she must be on the Bifrost that connected Asgard to Midgard.

"I am far from a Valkyrie," Ingrid responded after she wiped her face. She stood next to Heimdall on the Bifrost. "I am not allowed a beast of any choosing," she complained. "For so it’s said I could not control it. So how could I bring any heroic warrior to the Hall?"

"Do you not welcome the heroes?" Heimdall asked her knowing that was not all the Valkyries did. "They live their lives to see you in death."

"Ha," Ingrid snorted. This had been relayed to her by her parents multiple times. "What good is does them to see a child who cannot do so in return?" The bitterness of her tears had not quite left her. She had been bitter a long time. Then they both sensed someone behind them and became silent.

Loki was walking across the bridge to the Bifrost. They turned towards him. “Can you see him?” Heimdall asked Ingrid.

"I can feel his presence," Ingrid replied with her arms crossed. Did Heimdall not know that she was blind? Yet being considered as an equal was welcomed. "It is not as strong a presence as yours and seems to wax and wane…." she trailed off. "Even Valkyries have better presence." And they did.

Heimdall chuckled. “He is yet young, as you are,” he stated. “Do you not think your presence too, is similar? You do not yet know who you are in all things.”

Ingrid frowned at this but found Heimdall to be quite correct. Perhaps that was the way life was supposed to be. Then Loki reached the Bifrost. “Who is this that comes from Asgard?” Ingrid asked.

Loki was appalled at first that he was not recognized. Then he figured out that she was blind and produced a projection behind Ingrid to trick her. “I am Loki Odinson,” he replied. Ingrid could hear him from behind her but she could no longer sense where he was. With a frown of confusion her arms dropped as she tried to sense where he would reappear. Loki smelled her hair as she sensed him in ever so waveringly to the side instead of behind her. “You smell of death,” he remarked. Ingrid found this sound to be offensive but said nothing.

"She is of the Valkyries," Heimdall told him.

"I thought all the Valkyries were summoned to Midgard," Loki remarked and looked at him. That was when Ingrid made a calculated decision and grabbed Loki by the arm. The projection behind her disappeared as she threw him across the Bifrost.

"Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean you get to talk about me as if I’m not here," She growled as she looked in his direction and then over at Heimdall with a frown. She knew Heimdall was being polite but she did not like Loki's comment about death or that he had sniffed at her hair. Loki looked at her in surprise. No one had been able to see through his projections and yet he could tell she was blind. This secretly pleased him.

"Ah ha ha!" Heimdall burst into booming laughter as he saw Loki’s face. "You seem to have finally found someone who can out smart you."

With a growl Loki got up and threw another projection out. Yet again Ingrid ignored the projection even as it ran towards her. Then as Loki appeared behind her she reached behind and threw him on the ground in front of her with quite a bit of strength. Just because Ingrid was blind didn't mean that she didn't have the strength of a Valkyrie.

"Odin must be made aware of this," Heimdall stated with a chuckle still thrumming in his voice. "If there is a warrior who can level his son then he will be most pleased." Loki got up and dusted himself off. He glared at Ingrid while she merely frowned at him. She had little use for facial expressions since she had never seen a face in her life. "Loki you must take her to your father. I must keep watch." Heimdall turned into a position and set his staff onto the Bifrost and became as still as a statue.

"Come on," Loki grumbled as he grabbed her arm.

Ingrid yanked her arm out of his grasp. “I don’t need to be handled like a blind mortal,” she snapped and sneered. “I am not crippled. You need only walk level with me and I will find my way.”

His face softened slightly because he knew she would eventually need help on the bridge. “Alright but I won’t judge you if you trip. Asgard is nothing like the halls of Valhalla,” he pointed out.

With a huff Ingrid started shuffling forward next to him. He walked slowly at first until she gained more confidence in her footing. Eventually he noticed that she was barefooted. Her garments were gray but her face was bright and intelligent but clearly still showed signs of anger.

Loki took her hand, gently this time, and said, “It’s a long walk and we could get there quicker if you held on to me.”

Ingrid nodded and a strange look that could have been a smile crossed her face. Ingrid was not accustomed to a gentle touch. She spent most of her time denying help until people stopped offering it. Loki's voice was kind and made her feel like a friend instead of someone inferior. His hand was soft and pleasant to feel as she wrapped her fingers around his palm and let him lead her.

With a smile of his own Loki led her into Asgard, a place of beauty that she could not behold. For the first and possibly only time in his life he felt sorry for a person that had beaten him.


	2. Worthy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Ingrid talk with Odin about Heimdall's request. Although it isn't clear what Ingrid's purpose will be, this is her one chance to be someone she can be proud of.

By the time Loki and Ingrid reached Odin’s throne room, Ingrid had become slightly overwhelmed by the loud echoing sounds that reverberated from wall to wall. The Gods and Goddess’s voices were like loud bells. It was as if Asgard was drowning out her very existence and with each step she seemed to fade. Ingrid seemed in pain when she approached. However the throne room was wide an open compared to the ringing of the halls they walked through. The relief was enough for her to take a shaky breath

"Are you alright?" Loki asked her as they walked down the throne room. He noticed her holding her fingers to her head with an expression of pain.

"I rarely hear the sounds of Midgard from the Hall,” she said using ‘Hall” as a short reference to Valhalla. “Can you imagine the might of the noise in Asgard compared to there?" Ingrid pointed out. She had no idea that her own body no longer reflected the golden light from the room. Her clothes and skin were monochrome in the crook of Loki’s arm

"Who is this?" Odin demanded as soon as he could see Ingrid and Loki approach. It wasn’t hard to notice the ghost like form next to his son. Loki stopped walking with her and dropped his arm before taking a few steps ahead of her. He meant to introduce her but he couldn’t recall her name fast enough.

The voice of Odin passed through Ingrid’s body and she felt strengthening warmth growing through her bones. “I am Ingrid Idriskin of Valhalla,” she answered in a strong voice as she lifted her chin. A shimmer of light seemed to start at the crown of her head.

"What brings you to Asgard, Valkyrie?" Odin asked. Loki shuffled to the side. Ingrid didn’t look like any other Valkyrie he had ever seen. She seemed too mild by the way she stood but then she was a ghastly white looking thing. He had never seen a Valkyrie look like this.

Without any guidance Ingrid stepped ahead of Loki unafraid of the mighty Odin. “As you called all the Valkyries to Midgard, I was left alone in the halls of the heroic dead,” she explained expressing a respectful unhappiness. “I am blind and my kin keep me from being useful.” The shimmer of light at her head was faint. It was a bit like a halo but being without a visible source it formed no shape.

"You have no steed," Odin pointed out causing Ingrid to frown at the obvious visual conclusion. "How did you get here?" he added.

"Heimdall heard my cry," Ingrid pointed out as she put her head to the side. The light followed her head and began to dome down over her brow.

Odin grumbled, “So Heimdall called you to the Bifrost, hmmm? What have you done that he deemed you worthy to walk the bridge to Asgard?” Ingrid hesitated in answering this. Finding a way to say she had thrown Odin’s son around was suddenly difficult. “Speak quickly,” Odin barked. “Valkyries are not meant to walk in Asgard.”

For of course this light was what was sustaining her existence. Ingrid could not see it but Loki did. He was only guessing at what was happening to her but he was quite correct. Valkyries must have the All-Father’s permission to walk in Asgard. Without it she would simply disappear and return to Valhalla. Usually permission was given to Valkyries before they arrived in Asgard. This is why Loki found her unusual for a Valkyrie.

An uncomfortable silence followed, for Ingrid did not herself know quite why Heimdall claimed her worthy. Worthy was a term she was not familiar with. She considered death and loyalty that came from the dead warriors to be worthy. Yet what she had to give seemed little now that she was in Asgard. It was then after Ingrid stood with her mouth open and nothing to say that Loki stepped next to her. “She has the potential to be a great warrior in your army father,” he said quickly and confidently.

"A blind woman," Odin scoffed and looked at the two of them. "Explain yourselves."

"I can sense where Loki is," Ingrid said snapping out of her meekness and sudden insecurity. Odin frowned in thought at this. He could sense his son as well and remained silent so that she could explain further.

"Despite my illusions, father," Loki explained quickly since Ingrid could not see that Odin was waiting for her to continue. "Heimdall witnessed her, well,” his jaw and lips worked to from words, “plucking me out of thin air," He finished. “After I used my illusions on her,” he added. “At the time I didn’t know she was blind but she still, somehow, knew where I was,” he explained further. Loki turned to look at Ingrid still trying to work out how or why she could do this. Ingrid could not see the expression of wonder on Loki’s face but Odin did.

There was another moment of silence, which was always particularly awkward for Ingrid, as Odin considered. “I must speak to Frigga and Freyja of this,” he said softly. “Freyja would want to know of a Valkyrie in the Asgardian army. Frigga would be the one to initiate your training. I cannot take personal interest in this because I have many other things to attend to.”

Ingrid took a deep dejected breath. It seemed that she would be sent back to Valhalla to wait as she seemed to have done most of her short life. At this point she no longer wished to wait and an expression of frustration crossed her brow that was still glowing faintly over her head.

"Until then you have my permission to stay in Asgard," Odin added. The light over her head shot straight down the center of her being to her feet and no longer was her skin white as snow but pink and pale yellow. Her eyes were not blank and flat but now a light blue. They still did not see but she looked like a proper living being now. "I will have Heimdall speak to your parents about this singular privilege,” Odin went on. “They should be honored to know you hold his favor.” He smiled warmly. Even though Ingrid’s expression remained vague Loki smiled enough for the both of them. “Finally, I wish you fortune in this venture. Becoming an Asgardian is no easy feat. Those who prove themselves worthy will be rewarded."

Slowly Ingrid’s face split into a brilliant smile as if she had never smiled before. “Thank you Odin!” she cried as she clasped her hands together in front of her waist. “You give this child a sense of purpose for the first time.” She bowed her head gratefully as Odin chuckled softly at her words.

Already the gray color of the dead was diminishing from her frame and a strengthening light came from her chest instead of a cold lost look. Loki stared at this change in her appearance. The change made her look rather like a failing ember that was slowly bursting back to life. Ingrid could feel the change in her body but she said nothing of it. She knew Valkyries had to have permission from the All-Father to walk in Asgard. All it took was his word and she felt more alive now than the day she was born.

After a moment Odin cleared his throat and exclaimed, “Bring Ingrid Idriskin of Valhalla, to one of our finest accommodations!” Then two women came from behind a pillar and gently took her arms to lead Ingrid away to her room.

Ingrid was hesitant and looked to where she knew Loki was standing. Loki saw the insecurity in her face. “You’ll be in good hands,” he reassured her with a smile that faltered because he knew she couldn’t see it. Ingrid then relaxed and let the two women take her from the throne room to her temporary apartment.

There Ingrid had the stench of the dead washed off of her and luxurious Asgardian clothes were given to her to wear. The dull colors of life in Valhalla eventually faded away and the golden light of Asgard turned her cheeks rosy. For a few hours she sat on a balcony with her eyes closed and learned to listen to the land. The sound of the wind against the walls of the houses and against the grass was all so different. Somehow here it was louder and clearer than she remembered from home. There were waterfalls far away that she could hear and she knew by faint little voices that she was in a tower high above the ground. From sitting in her chair she got to know the highs and lows of the surrounding buildings as well as the walk ways and little bridges from the way the wind moved over and around them.

Eventually she started to drift off into a sleep like state. It wasn’t until she felt Loki approach the balcony that she opened her eyes. Even though what she saw did not change she knew when her eyes were opened and when they were closed. This opening of her eyes also let others around her know that she was aware of them. She turned her head slightly towards him.

"Asgard seems to suit you," Loki said softly admiring the change to her features. He had found out what exactly had happened to her. He had seen other Valkyries but never one who hadn’t been summoned. Understanding how things worked was important to him. He leaned against the entryway as his eyes took in her curves. Ingrid wouldn’t be able to tell if he was staring so he took the chance to do so now.

With a deep sigh Ingrid answered, “There is life here that I could only dream about in Valhalla.” Her normally statuesque expression softened as she felt the wind upon her face. “Even if my fate does not lie here in Asgard I am glad you brought me here, Loki. It is not easy to find my way in a place that I am unfamiliar with.”

"Well one does not deny Heimdall’s wishes," Loki admitted not wanting to seem worthy of praise. He wasn’t used to being appreciated for anything other than his tricks. It made him uncomfortable to be shown gratitude for being kind. He usually didn’t do kindness.

"Heimdall is warm," Ingrid started to describe. Loki turned his head to her. He found her voice and ability to describe what she couldn’t see intriguing. "I often listened to his pace on the Bifrost from Valhalla’s end. It made me feel safe. As long as Heimdall walks the Bifrost, Valhalla will stay open to Midgard… to life." While Ingrid was talking Loki had created a projection that silently took a lock of her hair even though he was still listening intently. When she stopped talking he returned to where he had been standing. "What were you doing by the way?" she asked as she turned her head towards him.

Loki smirked and chuckled softly as he examined the strand of hair in his hands. “I’m just testing you,” he murmured. He put her hair to the light of Asgard’s sun and watched as it glistened like the river below. The silvery gray strands were translucent in the golden light. As Loki wound the lock of hair through his fingers the hair on Ingrid’s head turned to a flaming red color. Then as he looked up at Ingrid he watched it turn from gray to red and kept growing passed her shoulders. It matched the life that started to grow in her cheeks. Loki was secretly pleased with himself as he held back another chuckle.

She could feel a sudden weight growing on her shoulders. "What have you done to my hair?!" Ingrid exclaimed as she touched her head. She had a strange itchy sensation all over her head. The only conclusion she had was that he had done something to her hair. The thin wisps that she was used to feeling in her hands were now strong and thick. She stood up. Her hair fell around her shoulders like a radiant curtain of fire. Yet Ingrid couldn’t see it. All she could tell was that there was too much. "You’ve made me HAIRY!" Frantically she tried to find out how long it was by feeling with her fingers. Her eyebrows were raised with surprise. Then her eyebrows sprouted hair the same color as her hair. Ingrid grabbed her eyebrows and spluttered out half formed words.

Loki laughed out loud at this her response and her face made him double over.

Ingrid stomped over to him. “Change it back!” Loki quickly walked back out of her reach still laughing at how she was reacting. “You fix it right now, Loki!” she demanded with a frown on her face. Her angry red eyebrows forming a V on her forehead was too much for him.

"No," Loki retorted as she lunged at him and he swerved out of her way. "You should see the look on your face." He threw his head back and laughed as Ingrid regained her balance.

"How are others supposed to recognize me, if I’m covered in hair?" Ingrid exclaimed. Several strands of long red hair fell over her face and tangled into her outstretched hands. "I can’t even walk without it getting in the way," she complained in distress.

Frigga appeared at the door and Ingrid and Loki both stopped moving about the apartment. “What is going on here?” Frigga asked. She looked sternly at Loki. “Do you really think this is a way to treat an honored guest, Loki?” she asked him with a look that said she expected better.

Swallowing in shame the laughter left Loki’s face. “It’s just her hair,” he said. “This is what it used to look like,” he said showing the strand of gray hair to Frigga.

"If you do become a warrior of Odin you will not be allowed to look like a Valkyrie anyway," Frigga explained to Ingrid who looked furious at finding out he had cut hair from her head. "Loki has changed your hair into a color worth admiration in Asgard." Loki looked away from the two of them feeling a bit sheepish but still irritated that his mother was crediting him for making Ingrid prettier. He though she was pretty enough without red hair though he’d never admit it.

"What does the color of my hair matter?" Ingrid asked indignantly. "It restrains my ability to move my arms and it is too heavy," she complained as she gathered it into her hands and shook it. The light made it shimmer as the strands danced about with her movements.

With a chuckle Frigga put a hand to her mouth. “Wearing your hair like that of course it’s going to be heavy,” she said and gathered Ingrid’s hair in her hands and putting it over her shoulder and letting it hang down Ingrid’s waist. “My hair was much like yours once. I will make it so you need not worry that something such as hair comes between you and the enemy.”

Loki tried to sneak out of the apartment but a look from Frigga stopped him in his tracks. “Place the lock of hair in this, Loki,” she said handing him a small box. “Put the lock inside the box and don’t lose it. If Ingrid is to ever return to Valhalla she’ll need that to counter your spell.” Frigga’s face was stern with the importance of the situation as Loki put the hair in the box and clasped it in his hand. “Spells don’t work in Valhalla like they do here.”

“Of course,” Loki responded with a respectful smile. If without the lock of a Valkyrie’s hair meant that Ingrid would have to stay in Asgard then Loki would most certainly keep a close eye on it. It may prove to be incredibly useful one day once others forgot about it. He walked out and smirked mischievously at the box in his hand and then tucked it into his pocket. Valhalla was a place he had always wanted to be able to go to and from as he pleased. Ingrid’s hair may prove useful to him in creating a passage that he was fond of finding and making.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I updated. I have a blog on Tumblr called 'Aspiraton' if you'd like more current updates on the story.


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